Election 2014 : DESPERATION OF INDIA INC.
Multiparty elections for the lower house of Indian Parliament has just concluded with record voter turnout. But will the election 2014 be able to sort out the contradictions in the ranks of the Indian business establishment and multinationals that had arisen under the UPA government? Record spending, presidential style campaigning and entry of ideological divisiveness into political campaign suggest otherwise.
Exit poll projections are indicating that a new coalition of political parties will replace the UPA government. Indian business houses (collectively known as India Inc.) are anxiously waiting for the new government to add fresh momentum to a stalled “privatization and liberalization” agenda. They still consider the pursuit of that anti-social agenda to be the best option for transforming India to a major imperial world power.
Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh introduced “privatization and liberalization”in 1991 when the bipolar division of the world was ending. These measures allowed India Inc. lay their hands on the social property inside the country to enrich themselves at the cost of Indian people on the one hand and compete globally on the other. Successive governments have deepened this agenda: social services have disappeared and the control of private capital over economic and political life of the country is the strongest it has ever been. Militarization has occurred at a faster pace: India became a nuclear power and emerged as one of the top buyers of foreign weapons in the last two decades. Despite all this, India is no closer to being recognized as a big world power. It still remains marginalized when the big powers are re-dividing the world to their spheres of influence.
Exit poll projections are indicating that a new coalition of political parties will replace the UPA government. Indian business houses (collectively known as India Inc.) are anxiously waiting for the new government to add fresh momentum to a stalled “privatization and liberalization” agenda. They still consider the pursuit of that anti-social agenda to be the best option for transforming India to a major imperial world power.
Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh introduced “privatization and liberalization”in 1991 when the bipolar division of the world was ending. These measures allowed India Inc. lay their hands on the social property inside the country to enrich themselves at the cost of Indian people on the one hand and compete globally on the other. Successive governments have deepened this agenda: social services have disappeared and the control of private capital over economic and political life of the country is the strongest it has ever been. Militarization has occurred at a faster pace: India became a nuclear power and emerged as one of the top buyers of foreign weapons in the last two decades. Despite all this, India is no closer to being recognized as a big world power. It still remains marginalized when the big powers are re-dividing the world to their spheres of influence.
It is China who has become the pre-eminent Asian power today, gunning for global supremacy. And India Inc. is left with an impatient search of decisive initiatives at home and of new alliances with other Asian-European-American powers abroad, desperately trying to stake its elusive place in the new global order as an imperial power.
In this election, personality-based electioneering was pursued with a vengeance. A stage has been set, as a result, for the next government to assert executive power with an unprecedented level of arbitrariness. It stands to reason that this executive arbitrariness will be used to benefit those business groups that have bank rolled the record election expenses. It also stands to reason that such arbitrary privilege dispensation will escalate the conflict between different business houses, as well as between the people and authorities. Thus, India Inc. will need new ways to disorient popular opposition and to suppress resistance to their retrogressive policies. Diversionary and polarizing politics, on one hand, and state repression on the other, will necessarily shadow the new privatization and militarization measures. This is what the post-election scenario promises to be.
People will do well to remain vigilant against divisiveness, especially on non-political issues. Putting forth unifying political tactics to defeat any new privatization measures and military initiatives is the order of the day. United opposition to state repression must be of high priority. After all, governments these days are rather too trigger-happy when it comes to dealing with political matters - especially when desperate!
In this election, personality-based electioneering was pursued with a vengeance. A stage has been set, as a result, for the next government to assert executive power with an unprecedented level of arbitrariness. It stands to reason that this executive arbitrariness will be used to benefit those business groups that have bank rolled the record election expenses. It also stands to reason that such arbitrary privilege dispensation will escalate the conflict between different business houses, as well as between the people and authorities. Thus, India Inc. will need new ways to disorient popular opposition and to suppress resistance to their retrogressive policies. Diversionary and polarizing politics, on one hand, and state repression on the other, will necessarily shadow the new privatization and militarization measures. This is what the post-election scenario promises to be.
People will do well to remain vigilant against divisiveness, especially on non-political issues. Putting forth unifying political tactics to defeat any new privatization measures and military initiatives is the order of the day. United opposition to state repression must be of high priority. After all, governments these days are rather too trigger-happy when it comes to dealing with political matters - especially when desperate!
posted by charcha-editor at 19:08
1 Comments:
According to initial statistics, over 500 Million Indians, about 65% of the eligible voters, cast their ballots in the latest Lok Sabha polls. About 100 Million were first time young voters, between ages 18 and 23! News sources also report that the new Parliament will have the oldest average age of MP's, 60 years old and that over 480 MPs out of 543 have assets over ten million rupees. For a country where median age is under 30 years and median earning is less than Rs 5000, it is clear that the Parliament is neither representative of the voters in age and nor a reflection in assets.
The voters, especially the 100 Million young voters, have been drawn to the electoral arena in hopes that the election empowers them to have some say in government decisions and that the elected government would have policies that offer them education, employment and income; as well as security of life and human dignity in a society in development but still mired with poverty, illiteracy, corruption, inequality and insecurity.
These new Indians will naturally look to the new BJP led government and the politicians in them to deliver on their election promises of jobs and growth. The election campaign news reports have not provided details behind the broad jobs and growth promises made by politicians. The new Government will take over the Parliament in June and we will follow and track their plans as they unfold.
All previous governments have come to power on the basis of promising equality, prosperity, opportunity and have failed to deliver on those promises to the masses while enforcing policies that have created more wealth at one pole and poverty on the other.
History teaches that parliamentary system flips between the ruling party and the loyal opposition to keep the masses of the electorate looking at the next government to solve their problems. There is little in the election campaign programs published that suggests this history is about to change since now the new MPs are there to do what their predecessors have done - amass wealth!
What the new situation reveals is that voters consciousness continues to be radicalized; they will just not wait for this government to discredit itself to pave the way for the opposition to return to power; they can trailblaze a new movement for empowerment, because today's parliamentary system remains biased towards big money. That will be a new day in Indian politics.
We hope the new Indians who have voted their aspirations can launch a 21st Century India that truly shines for them and for the rest of the people of India.
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